*MAY CONTAIN SPOILERS*
Hairspray is, by far, one of my favourite musicals. Not only is it full of enjoyable songs (from Good Morning Baltimore to You Can't Stop The Beat) but it also focuses on racism in 1960s America. The main protagonist is Tracy Turnblad (Nikki Blonsky). One of her favourite TV series to watch is The Corny Collins Show, a show that is full of dancing and singing. The only problem is that all the dancers are white. Black people are only allowed to perform once a month on Negro Day. However, Tracy and a lot of others, are determined to change this and erase racism in the TV industry.
Just by looking at the poster above, you can see a lot of A-List actors. One of the most noticeable, of course, is John Travolta who performs in drag as Tracy's mother, Edna. This may have caused controversy due to him being well known as Danny Zuko in the popular musical, Grease. However, I think he performs amazingly well as Edna. He's hilarious and, in my opinion, enjoyable to watch. Many people have criticised him but I can't understand why. He has a great singing voice and I can't imagine anyone else performing as Edna as well as him. He also adds humour due to Edna's irrational fear of the outside world.
Another strong performance comes from Michelle Pfeiffer, who plays the racist manager of the TV show. From the moment we first see her, we loathe her. She's the antagonist of the film. Throughout, we want nothing but for her to disappear. Pfeiffer pulls off this performance amazingly well.
I also loved Blonsky as Tracy, it's hard to imagine that this is her first feature film role. She has said that, as a teenager, she's wanted to play Tracy ever since she saw Hairspray on Broadway. Fortunately, her dream came true. Just like the character, she is bright and cheerful and one of the reasons why I love this film. Like Travolta, she brings humour to the role. I would also say that she has the strongest voice out of all the cast.
Each actor involved in this film has a great voice and they each pull off their performances amazingly well.
Overall, with strong acting, enjoyable songs and a great narrative, this is one of my favourite musicals.
8/10
Just by looking at the poster above, you can see a lot of A-List actors. One of the most noticeable, of course, is John Travolta who performs in drag as Tracy's mother, Edna. This may have caused controversy due to him being well known as Danny Zuko in the popular musical, Grease. However, I think he performs amazingly well as Edna. He's hilarious and, in my opinion, enjoyable to watch. Many people have criticised him but I can't understand why. He has a great singing voice and I can't imagine anyone else performing as Edna as well as him. He also adds humour due to Edna's irrational fear of the outside world.
Another strong performance comes from Michelle Pfeiffer, who plays the racist manager of the TV show. From the moment we first see her, we loathe her. She's the antagonist of the film. Throughout, we want nothing but for her to disappear. Pfeiffer pulls off this performance amazingly well.
I also loved Blonsky as Tracy, it's hard to imagine that this is her first feature film role. She has said that, as a teenager, she's wanted to play Tracy ever since she saw Hairspray on Broadway. Fortunately, her dream came true. Just like the character, she is bright and cheerful and one of the reasons why I love this film. Like Travolta, she brings humour to the role. I would also say that she has the strongest voice out of all the cast.
Each actor involved in this film has a great voice and they each pull off their performances amazingly well.
Overall, with strong acting, enjoyable songs and a great narrative, this is one of my favourite musicals.
8/10
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